Los Angeles Lakers Draft 2017

Ball gets to stay at home out in Los Angeles, which his father seems to have willed into existence. Ball is not without warts. He's not hyper explosive, and he's not a great defender at this stage. But he has the strongest basketball IQ in this draft and is going to create a culture of unselfishness wherever he goes. I liked the fit better when he had D'Angelo Russell next to him in order to help him create plays in the half court, but in the end, Ball should still end up reaching a terrific ceiling in Los Angeles.
GRADE: A-

Ball gets to stay at home out in Los Angeles, which his father seems to have willed into existence. Ball is not without warts. He's not hyper explosive, and he's not a great defender at this stage. But he has the strongest basketball IQ in this draft and is going to create a culture of unselfishness wherever he goes. I liked the fit better when he had D'Angelo Russell next to him in order to help him create plays in the half court, but in the end, Ball should still end up reaching a terrific ceiling in Los Angeles.
GRADE: A-

This is a bit of a reach for us. We had Kuzma at No. 46 on our board, as his overall consistency was poor over the course of his career at Utah. One game, you'd get high effort, and he'd go for 20 and 15. The next, he'd go for nine and five. But in terms of his skill, he can knock down 3s as a stretch-4, which is interesting given what the Lakers have on their roster currently.
GRADE: C-

This is a bit of a reach for us. We had Kuzma at No. 46 on our board, as his overall consistency was poor over the course of his career at Utah. One game, you'd get high effort, and he'd go for 20 and 15. The next, he'd go for nine and five. But in terms of his skill, he can knock down 3s as a stretch-4, which is interesting given what the Lakers have on their roster currently.
GRADE: C-

This pick will go to Utah as the Jazz give up 30 and 42 to move up and take Bradley. Bradley is a statistical darling on a per-minute basis, but he's also a reach here for us. Athleticism is a major concern, as he is heavy footed and doesn't have a ton in the way of explosiveness. Maybe the Jazz can do as much for him in the way of explosiveness as they did for Rudy Gobert. If they get a backup center, they'll be happy with this. I'm skeptical, though.
GRADE: C-

This pick will go to Utah as the Jazz give up 30 and 42 to move up and take Bradley. Bradley is a statistical darling on a per-minute basis, but he's also a reach here for us. Athleticism is a major concern, as he is heavy footed and doesn't have a ton in the way of explosiveness. Maybe the Jazz can do as much for him in the way of explosiveness as they did for Rudy Gobert. If they get a backup center, they'll be happy with this. I'm skeptical, though.
GRADE: C-